Friday, 29 March 2013

Easter weekend is here! 4 lovely long days of relaxing and reading! Twitter is already buzzing with what we should all be reading this Easter, but I thought I'd give to you a little bit of what is coming up from Mira Ink this weekend!You should no longer be a stranger to the wonderful Katie McGarry, with 'Pushing the Limits' and 'Dare you To' as well as a release date for 'Crash Into You' at the end of this year. AND she chatted to us on Skype at the blogger party last week - It is all about Katie McGarry this year!! So what better than to give you another piece of her!Released on Easter Monday, Katie has a e-novella coming out called 'Crossing the Line' - it sits between 'Pushing the Limits' and 'Dare you To' and focuses on Lila, Echo's best friend and a small part of her story!

Here's a sneakpeak:"Lila McCormick first met Lincoln Turner when tragedy struck both their lives. But she never expected their surprise encounter would lead to two years of exchanging letters—or that she’d fall for the boy she’s only seen once. Their relationship is a secret, but Lila feels closer to Lincoln than anyone else. Until she finds out that he lied to her about the one thing she depended on him for the most. Hurting Lila is the last thing Lincoln wanted. For two years, her letters have been the only thing getting him through the day. Admitting his feelings would cross a line he’s never dared breach before. But Lincoln will do whatever it takes to fix his mistakes, earn Lila’s forgiveness—and finally win a chance to be with the girl he loves."Although it may be a novella, it sits right up there with her other two books. When I first finished it I wanted more (who doesn't with Katie McGarry books?), I wanted to find out what happens in those two years between meeting and the present, or what happened afterwards. I'm sure it could have easily become a full length novel like the rest. But then the more I thought about it, the more I realised that actually it is amazing as it is. There is so much packed into one short story that you get just enough context to know what is going on but not too much that it detracts from the focus of the main plot. It leaves you to wonder how things may have progressed afterwards but I think it doesn't leave you unsatisfied. I usually try to stay away from short stories as I like investing myself into a novel and getting really into it, whereas I find short stories can quite often suck you in and then throw you out again just as quickly, leaving you disappointed or unsatisfied.Does anyone else find this with novellas and short stories? Do you wish that they were longer- either more context to them or made into full novels, or do you think that extending them into full length novels might ruin them slightly?But then 'Crossing the Line' leaves me to stand corrected - this is definitely worthy of reading and is a great little added extra to the world of Echo and Noah.Even better it is only £1.59 on Kindle, so how can you say no?As mentioned before, it is out on Easter Monday, so only a few days to wait, but you can pre-order it here:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crossing-Pushing-Limits-novella-ebook/dp/B00AWRCRZW/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1364224242&sr=1-2Let me know what you think!!Have a great Easter everyone!

Friday, 22 March 2013

For those of you that didn't know - last night was Mira Ink's 2nd (and now annual) blogger party! Now I have a confession to make - this was my first blogger party, which was so exciting, but also a little nerve-wracking as I know that a lot of the bloggers at the party knew each other but it was such good fun!!

There was an amazing array of cupcakes and snacks as well as a lovely goodie bag for each of us full of some of the upcoming Mira Ink books!

Saving the best until last... we got to skype chat with Katie McGarry!! She is such a lovely person, as well as writing amazing books, and was so happy to get to chat to us and answer our questions! She told us little stories of bits that inspired her to write Pushing the Limits and Dare you To and how she never really thought of herself as a YA specific writer, she just wrote what she wanted to write but now she couldn't imagine writing anything else.

Plus her favourite colour is purple!

In addition to all of this we got to see sneaky peeks of all the amazing things coming up in the next year! Now for those who didn't come along, I was lucky enough to be able to bring you all the latest on here too:

The seventh and LAST in the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent is coming out in April. I don't know about you, but all of us at the party were VERY excited about this - we've heard some rumours that is the best yet and really concludes the series brilliantly. Tissue warnings have been issued though!

'The Eternity Cure', Julie Kagawa's book 2 in the Blood of Eden series comes out in May. It looks fantastic and you can see behind the scene pictures of the cover shoot here!

Calling all Maria V Snyder fans out there! This summer the Chronicles of Ixia triology are being re-released under the Mira Ink name with gorgeous new covers! How amazing do they look?

Katie McGarry's second book 'Dare You To' is out in June following the second character of Beth Risk from 'Pushing the Limits' and how her life shifts when she meets Ryan. 'Pushing the Limits' was an amazing read, and in my opinion 'Dare You To' is even better!

Kady Cross' third book in her Steampunk Chronicles is out in June! 'The Girl with the Iron Touch' continues the story in an alternative 1897 London and has come with great recommendation along with the first two books 'The Girl in the Steel Corset' and 'The Girl in the Clockwork Collar'!

Back in February I posted about Claire Garber's new book 'Love is a Thief' and what her inspiration behind it was and here it is! Out in July, a fantastic read with an equally fantastic cover. This won't be the last you've heard about this book!

Another debut for Mira Ink is Amanda Sun's 'Ink' out in July this year. It is a Japanese set story and centres around what happens when ink drawings come to life...

'Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend' is Louise Rozett's second book, out in July, following on from the success of the 'Confessions of an Angry Girl', and the continued struggles in high school.

'My Favourite Mistake' by Chelsea M Cameron is being released in paperback in September! I absolutely loved this story and posted my review here. It is definitely worth reading, but if you can't wait for the paperback version it is out in digital edition here!

Elizabeth Scott is one of Mira Ink's newly acquired authors and I am so excited for her new book 'Heartbeat' to come out. If you love John Green (which I do!!) then this is the book for you! Out in September, watch this space.

'Through the Zombie Glass' is book 2 in Gena Showalter's White Rabbit Chronicles. It is a series loosely based on Lewis Carroll's Alice and Wonderland, but it is a lot darker and grittier with zombies. It comes with high recommendation and definitely worth a read!

November brings us Julie Kagawa's second book in her spin off Iron Fey series, 'The Iron Traitor'. 'The Lost Prince' was released in January and is a great read. If you loved the Iron Fey series you will love this!And last but by no mean's least we come back to Katie McGarry with her third book! 'Crash into You' focuses on Isaiah, the third character from 'Pushing the Limits' and he finally gets to tell his story after sitting on the sidelines for two books. It is going to be fantastic! Shame we have to wait until December for this!

What a long list!! So much is coming out and it looks all so exciting. It's going to be a great 2013 for Mira Ink and the publishing world.

Any titles catch your eye in particular?

Stay tuned as I'm sure I will be able to bring you all the updates, sneak peeks and exclusive from all these titles and more throughout the year!!

Friday, 15 March 2013

Now you seemed to all loved the cover reveal for Dare You To that I posted back in February, so I thought I'd treat you all to another one as I have just received the amazing cover for The Eternity Cure!

'The Eternity Cure' is the brand new book in the Blood of Eden series by Julie Kagawa, following on from the amazing 'The Immortal Rules'. Do we have any fans out there? (I'm expecting the answer will be lots and lots!) It is not out until May this year, but here is a plot sneakypeek:

Out here in the Fringes, there is only one rule: Blood calls to blood. She has done the unthinkable: died so she might continue to live. Now Allie, the reluctant teenage vampire who was cast out of Eden, and Zeke, the human boy who loves her, must attempt to save the world from a deadly new strain of plague. In order to do so, they must first hunt down the monster who holds the promise of the cure—and Allie’s beloved mentor—in his sadistic grip…. Joined by Allie’s blood brother, Jackal, this unlikely posse of companions will brave a landscape stalked by raiders, rabids, and rogue vampires. But even if they survive, they’re bound for the Inner city, and a vicious showdown that will test their bonds in ways they never expected. It may just be that becoming undead was the easy part. Confronting the horrors of Allie’s awakening hunger, her growing feelings for Zeke, and the uncertainties of their future is going to be the ultimate challenge.

Sounds exciting right?The cover for it looks fantastic too....

﻿Now because it is Friday and I'm feeling generous I have some of the behind the scenes images of the shoot for this cover!

What do you think of these?

Now looking at both the cover and the shoot pictures for it got me thinking about book covers and what makes a strong cover?﻿ Every cover is different, but it must be so hard to come up with a new cover that is eyecatching from the rest. What makes a good book cover to you? How important is the cover to you? Do you judge a book by its cover?

Susan Cain's 'Quiet' is one of the first covers that came into my head for sticking out among the rest, recently. Although visually there isn't alot (if any) on the cover at all to look at, it has the reverse effect and is eyecatching amidst the array of multi coloured books around it. It definitely takes on the 'Less is more' concept!

I also had a google as to what were considered the best book covers and these was one that kept catching my eye across many different web pages - 'The Flame Alphabet' by Ben Marcus. Although it is not out in the UK until May, and has a strange, twisted, yet oddly intriguing plot line, I have to admit it does capture the eye!

What are you favourite book covers? Or ones that have interested you, made you look twice or even bought it? Let me know!

Friday, 8 March 2013

I did it, I survived! I went to my very first book club meeting the other day and it was great!

I know you're probably thinking, why wouldn't it have been? Why would I not have survived? Don't get me wrong, talking about books with other people who have read them is almost as good as reading the book in the first place. I will pretty much chew the ear off someone who has just read the same book as me! But casual friend to friend chat about a book over coffee is one thing, and blogging and twitter too are fantastic ways to discuss books, but it's a whole other ball game going to an actual book club! Or so I thought before this week.

Now I've studied English lit at school and degree level, I know the pains (and joys) of sitting in a room trying to get a decent discussion with the class about a book, which at 9am on a Monday morning can be similar to pulling teeth, and overanalysing every last minor detail until the main points are irrelevant in the end. Plus, I have read books about book clubs, The Jane Austen Book Club comes first to mind, and even books about clubs in general - I've read the Christmas cookie club, the knitting circle (tissue alert!) and countless others, and they're fantastic reads but each of them always generally involves a group of older people and somehow manages to connect that week's topic of discussion to their inner, personal lives. Going back to the Jane Austen book club, each member happens to host the book that reflects them most in life, with their dramas and emotions. What If that was what it was really like? I could be stuck in a room full of older people trying to read into my life from the connections and comments of the book! Even more reason for my panic - the book was The Hundred Year Old Man who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared! What would they think??

But in fact, I was worrying about nothing (unsurprisingly), although there weren't many of us, we were all of similar age and possibly similar levels of shyness but, with the aid of the discussion questions at the back of the book, we got straight in to talking about our best and worst bits! I even bought the next month's book there as well (it was hosted in a waterstones cafe)!

What are your opinions on book clubs? Do you go to one or wish you did? They're a lot more harmless than they may seem (to me!) And so much fun too! Or even are you a member of an online book club? I know this is something that is expanding across the net and blogs, allowing people from all over the world to discuss a book together!

What were your first book club experiences like? Were you as nervous as me? Share them with me!!

Friday, 1 March 2013

This is what the new book by Claire Garber tells us. Love stops us doing things we used to do in life: hobbies, habits, interests. You name it. So this book is all about getting that back and becoming you again, rather than just half of a couple in love.

If you liked Bridget Jones' Diary and books similar to that you will LOVE this. It's very fresh and edgy and very funny!

Intrigued? Here's a little sneak peak on the message behind 'Love is a Thief' from Claire herself:

My name is Claire Garber and I am a cliche.

Just before my thirtieth birthday my heart was broken into a million tiny pieces by a Frenchman who resembled a bloody great Gucci model and smelt like a giant bar of chocolate. He was my lobster. But I didn't just fall apart. I shattered like a Faberge egg being lobbed at a concrete wall by a ferocious catapult.

Homeless, jobless and most certainly loveless, I turned up at my dad's house and moved myself in, uninvited, staying there for months, wandering around the house in a threadbare pair of red Adidas tracksuit bottoms and the unwashed T-shirt of my ex. I didn't even wear underwear - who needs pants when you've lost the love of your life? Not me, I just wept and I wept and then I wept some more, unable to form tear-free sentences for the best part of six months. The skin around my eyes has never regained its elasticity.

Because my thirtieth year was the year I realised that I might just be 'that' girl. You know the one. The girl who, for no particular reason, doesn't get the guy, doesn't have children, doesn't get the romantic happy every after. So I needed to come up with a plan. I needed to get back to basics. I needed to ask myself a few important questions:

What did I like doing?

What didn't I get to do because of my last relationship?

What didn't I get to do because I fell in love?

More importantly what would I be happy spending the rest of my life doing if love never showed up again?

Love is a Thief is the end result of that process, not only of asking myself those questions but asking my grandmas, my aunties, my friends, cousins, men, women, those in love, out of love, getting over love, getting into love. Sitting them down and saying:

'If you knew you were going to spend the rest of your life alone, you would never fall in love, never settle down, never have children, what would you want to do? What would make you happy? What would fill up your time, your heart, your soul for the rest of your days? Are you currently doing that thing?'

Love is a Thief is a book about going out and getting back all the things that you stopped doing the day you fell in love.

It's about reconnecting with the part of yourself you lost when you fell in love.

It's about finding a way to eat hundreds of Quality Street Strawberry Creams without getting a fat arse.

My name is Claire Garber, I am a cliche.

Love is a Thief is not.

So now at Mira Ink, we want to know: What has love stolen from you? Anything you wish you had done or kept doing? Or if you were going to spend your life doing something, not in love, what would it be?

'Love is a Thief' is Claire Garber's debut novel and is out in July! Watch this space for more exciting features and fun and games in the run up to the release in July!